Rybar Live: Situation in the Middle East, April 17

Mikhail Zvinchuk, head of the Russian think tank Rybar:

«The U.S. administration is now basically trying to reduce spending on the Middle East, although not very successfully, just look at Yemen, where the Pentagon has dived headfirst into. So now we see attempts to reconcile the other sides and attempts not to deploy their own contingent until it is necessary»

Adding: 

U.S. Begins Troop Drawdown in Northeastern Syria, Closes Three Outposts

The United States has begun withdrawing hundreds of troops from northeastern Syria, according to a report by The New York Times on Thursday. 

The move includes the closure of three out of eight small U.S. military outposts in the region, with total troop numbers expected to drop from around 2,000 to approximately 1,400, the report said, citing two senior American officials.

🐻 They came there pretending to fight ISIS—and now that ISIS is literally in power, they're leaving.